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Timothy J Crawford's avatar

Just down the road from me, there is a life-size (82 ft/25 meter) blue whale sculpture named Ethyl. She is made of recycled polyethylene, and resides on the campus of Santa Fe Community College. She even lights up at night! I don’t know how much water she would hold, but there were a lot of retired water bottles that went into her creation. Photos of Ethyl at https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ethyl-the-whale

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Oh wow Ethyl is beautiful!!

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Mark Hayes's avatar

That's actually rather beautiful, on multiple levels...

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John Boyd's avatar

Is Ethyl cold? (IYKYK)

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Timothy J Crawford's avatar

I’m not sure. I will have to Go Ask Alice.

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John Boyd's avatar

Hello, hurray!

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Rich Feldman's avatar

I once had a client at a major corporation who carried a Gulpzilla 9000 filled with Mountain Dew everywhere he went. To this day, I can't figure out a) why anyone took him seriously; and, b) how he managed to live past the age of 50.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

So what you're saying is, Mountain Drew (or Brawndo, probably) is the fountain of youth?

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Rich Feldman's avatar

Yah, you can call it the Mountain of Youth ... or the Mountain's Fountain

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Mark Hayes's avatar

I've seen Game of Thrones. You don't fuck with The Mountain...

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Heidi L 🇵🇸 🇺🇦's avatar

Hopefully the Gulpzilla 9000 wasn't clear; Mtn Dew comes in a green bottle for a reason. And it's also my go-to go juice and I'm pushing 60. 😁

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RichF's avatar

For the record this was not disparaging Mtn Dew per se … it was commentary on drinking 2 gallons of it at a time

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Rachel C's avatar

Maybe he stayed fit carrying it around 👹

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Rich Feldman's avatar

Actually, I think he weighed about 300 pounds.

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Mark Hayes's avatar

I mean, really, who doesn't like Moonshine liquor? It's Everclear that you couldn't possibly be disparaging The Dew...

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Mark Hayes's avatar

I still miss a soda abortion from the late 70s: Rondo, Lightly carbonated so you can SLAM IT DOWN!

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Heidi L 🇵🇸 🇺🇦's avatar

Never had it, but I do like the lighter carbonation of Mtn Dew...

Speaking of olde sodas, I also used to enjoy Tahitian Treat, which was essentially reincarnated as Mtn Dew Code Red.

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Mark Hayes's avatar

Well, Code Red is Tahitian Treat with a shit ton of added caffeine...

I've been buying Mexican Coca Cola for years (one of the great advantages of living in California) but last year I discovered Mexican Squirt! It's absolutely the best hot weather soda and doesn't taste all chemically like American made sodas...

Bonus, like Mexican Coke, it's in tall glass bottles (in Squirt's case with a groovy spiral around the gripping area).

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Heidi L 🇵🇸 🇺🇦's avatar

Love when I can get Mexican Coke! Haven't had Mexican Squirt, but I have an old quart bottle of the original from the 60s and it has exactly the swirl you're talking about.

I used to love Code Red until the Type 2 was diagnosed; Diet Code Red is scarcer than hen's teeth, but it can occasionally be found down south.

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Mark Hayes's avatar

Homey don't play diet soda!

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Charles Bastille's avatar

"it is infused with Himalayan salt and the ether of bergamot essential oil..."

I always know I'm reading a youngin's post when I see something like this.

Gin. Duh.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Ooh am I the 'youngin'? Yay!

Gin in a 3-liter jug sounds dangerous 😆

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Charles Bastille's avatar

That’s why you need two, so you don’t run out.

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Carly's avatar

Two words that make this piece of writing epically funny to me: "Faucet jizz"

Thank you for this! 🤣🤣🤣

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Robin Wilding's avatar

😆😆 You're welcome Carly.

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Jan M. Flynn's avatar

The skyjuice (!) from my collapsible silicone hydration unit (NO it doesn't have a battery) just went up my nose while I laughed at this, so thanks for that.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

collapsible silicone hydration unit? Jan, you're living in the future clearly.

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Kimberlyanne's avatar

American here. Needed this funny uplift today so thank you. You're a talented writer!

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Robin Wilding's avatar

I'm glad you got a laugh Kimberlyanne, I'm tying to bring a little cheer during otherwise rough times.

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Sam Mertens's avatar

You know, one way this article could be read is that you wrote it to brag about your water bottle and how big and girthy it is.

It’s not the size, Robin, it’s what you do with your water bottle. Do you whip it out for show like it does all the work, always at a mediocre level even by the end of the day, or can you completely empty it and refill it and be ready to go again, for hours and hours?

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Robin Wilding's avatar

😆😆 Nice one Sam. I'm definitely the latter. Ready to go again for hours and hours (with many, many pee breaks).

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Sam Mertens's avatar

I too hydrate all day long.

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Cheri Collins's avatar

🤣😂🤣 I stopped carrying one because it was too heavy on hikes; I got tired of the bruised hip, too.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

😆😆The hip bruise is so real.

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Rachel Dalinka's avatar

Robin - you are a talented biotch! Looove your made up words!! Keep on rockin’ it out sistah! Just subscribed for the year - b/c after reading this post and being a harcore H2hoe, I peed myself laughing.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Aww thank you so much Rachel!!!

And ooh la la a 'wee'd-from-laughter' is the top compliment for us humor writers.

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Brooke Craig's avatar

Yes, this GenXer also has an emotional support bottle. I have the 32oz hydro flask covered in stickers - some from non-profits I like and loosely support and some pithy quotes and a couple for my Alma mater and a writing group I’m in. I also have other water bottles, mostly ones my kids left behind and a slim hydro flask that I use with the tiny bottle pocket on my travel purse and a couple of other ones if the larger hydro flask is dirty. I do actually wash my bottles at least every couple of uses though 🙂. And I never, ever, ever leave home without one.

And yes, mine are filled with water 90% of the time. And no, I don’t put alcohol in them - the other 10% goes to coffee drinks (different bottle though) and electrolyte powder drinks to relieve the over-hydration symptoms (actually, I’ve dealt with orthostatic symptoms since childhood and I don’t eat a lot of salty foods - hence, the electrolyte necessity). If I’m going to drink a cocktail or wine, I’m sure as hell going to use a real glass - I’m not a heathen, geez.

But yes, I pee more than most humans and I leave the sticker covered bottle at home the first few times I work with a new decluttering or design client until I can figure out if said walking billboard of my soul might offend them with my liberal politics (cafes for the homeless and special needs baristas - gasp!) or they just might think I’m immature and unprofessional - in which case, do I really want to work with them??

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Robin Wilding's avatar

'i'm not a hethen, geez' 😆

It sounds like you've got your hydration game hilariously on point Brooke. But you make some excellent points about your walking billboard.

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Elaine M's avatar

Love this! I have an Owala that I love. The monster water bottles don’t work in the car cup holder. Rotfl 🤣

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Clearly we need bigger cupholders now!

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Char Sundust's avatar

Under the spell of sipnosis…♥️

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Samesies hehe

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Shelly Stallard's avatar

I’m a hydroflasker😂 I chipped my front tooth about it, even. I did have it fixed, but I was going down the SAME bad dirt road (for work) and drinking while I drove. Chipped it again, and decided I’m stupid and it’s just a small chip. It’s not fixed.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

😆😆 You're just living with the chipped tooth instead of giving up your bottle. I love the dedication Shelly.

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Shelly Stallard's avatar

It’s the easiest one to clean, and it doesn’t eventually taste weird, like after a whole day in a hot car and my hot pack. Also, it keeps ice water the longest. I just try not to be stupid with it, and only drink when I’m still. 🤣

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Rachel C's avatar

My brother in law caught strep from never washing the water bottle. Mine goes in dishwasher every 4 days. That’s how long it takes two old farts to run out of their favorite dishes. 👹

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Ouch, strep sucks. 4 days sounds like a solid rotation plan.

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susan conner's avatar

Are you sure you're just drinking water?! 🤣 I never had a sippy cup so can't comment on the need.

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Yeah. This is me SOBER 😆😆

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Rebecca Mack ☕'s avatar

I worked with a psychotherapist once who claimed that our constant need to carry water bottles was a replacement for access to breastfeeding. Think she kind of had a point. 👶

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Robin Wilding's avatar

Well, damn. 😆😆

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Rebecca Mack ☕'s avatar

Yep. That was the theory. We all want to get back to the comfort of a maternal breast. She was a psychiatrist and a psychotherapists… very clever woman. Who am I to argue?

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Mark Hayes's avatar

Please don't ruin boobies with academia or logic...

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Mark Hayes's avatar

Because boobies?

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Robin Wilding's avatar

It's always because boobies.

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Mark Hayes's avatar

Duh.

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